TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 1979
SWD PAYS OUT $177 MILLION AS SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
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THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, AMID CONTINUED EXPANSION IN OTHER FIELDS OF WELFARE SERVICE, HÁS PAID OUT $177 MILLION AS NON-CONTRIBUTORY SOCIAL SECURITY CASH BENEFITS IN THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1979.
THE MONEY WENT TO MORE THAN 300,000 PEOPLE AS PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, OLD AGE ALLOWANCE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCE ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S 26 SOCIAL SECURITY FIELD UNITS.
THE AMOUNT WAS ABOUT $62 MILLION MORE THAN IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR AND REPRESENTED A DAILY AVERAGE PAYOUT OF $1.2 MILLION.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (TUESDAY) THE INCREASE IN PAYOUT WAS MAINLY DUE TO THE LOWERING, FROM 75 TO 70, OF THE QUALIFYING AGE FOR THE OLD AGE ALLOWANCE WHICH HAD RÉSULTED IN AN ADDITIONAL 62,000 CASES.
THESE EXTRA CASES, HE SAID, REPRESENT ABOUT 84 PER CENT OF THE 74,000 PEOPLE ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE 70-74 AGE GROUP. AND THEY BRING TO 134,600 THE TOTAL NUMBER OF OLD AGE ALLOWANCE CASES.
ANOTHER FACTOR FOR THE INCREASED PAYOUT WAS THE INTRODUCTION IN APRIL LAST YEAR OF MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES WHICH PROVIDED NEW OR INCREASED BENEFITS, HE SAID.
THESE INCLUDED THE PROVISION OF A LONG-TERM SUPPLEMENT, AN OLD AGE SUPPLEMENT. AND A DISREGARDED INCOME SYSTEM FOR ELIGIBLE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS, AND THE EXTENSION OF THE OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCES' TO PEOPLE UNDER INSTITUTIONAL CARE, HE ADDED,
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT OF THE $177 MILLION, $82 MILLION WERE PAID OUT AS PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, $74 MILLION AS OLD AGE ALLOWANCE, AND $21 MILLION AS DISABILITY ALLOWANCE.
THE MEANS-TESTED PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEME PROVIDES MONTHLY CASH ASSISTANCE TO BRING THE INCOME OF A HOUSEHOLD IN NEED UP TO A LEVEL WHERE ESSENTIAL NEEDS SUCH AS FOOD AND CLOTHING CAN BE MADE.
THE NON-MEANS TESTED OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCE PROVIDE A MONTHLY CASH GRANT, ON TOP OF ANY PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PAYMENT, AS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE FAMILY TO LOOK AFTER AN ELDERLY OR SEVERELY DISABLED MEMBER AND TO ENCOURAGE HIM TO REMAIN FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
AT PRESENT. THE DEPARTMENT'S SOCIAL SECURITY FIELD UNITS HANDLE ABOUT 46,500 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CASES, 134,600 OLD AGE ALLOWANCE CASES AND 21,740 DISABILITY ALLOWANCE CASES.
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